[center][h2][color=0054a6]Witch[/color][/h2]
[i]Level 2 (6/20 EXP)
Location: The [i]Avenger[/i]
Word Count: 839 (2 exp gained)[/i]
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Though the hairy little man may have answered her question, what he told the Witch only left her twice as baffled as before. ‘Airship’ she could more or less decipher: it was probably just a ship that sailed across the skies instead of the seas. A useful word, apt to describe the craft the Seekers rode around in. As for the rest of his vocabulary, however… ‘Complete nonsense’ didn’t even begin to describe it.

[color=0054a6][i]Elerium-based? Nanotech? Space-farin? GEATHJERK??[/i][/color] The bewildered sorceress could only stare uncomprehending, victim once more to the unpleasant feeling of being far out of her depth. She’d meant to scare the engineer into spilling his guts, but rather than quail in fear he’d freely given her information she could scarcely even grasp. Was he so naïve as to somehow think her harmless? She nearly bristled at that, but immediately found herself stopped by a more important question—if this pint-sized tinkerer was telling the truth, then he was perhaps the most knowledgeable mortal the Witch had even encountered.

She paused, and took a deep breath. [color=0054a6]“I… See.”[/color] Clearly it wouldn’t do to rush recklessly in like she had been. These people were more unique than she could possibly have expected; perhaps even she couldn’t fathom the consequences of getting on their bad side. She resolved to try being a little more polite for the moment, to take advantage of their blind trust. It wasn’t often that people trusted the Witch, and less often still that she repaid that trust in kind; she really ought to enjoy this rare experience while it lasted.

[color=0054a6]“Yes, friend.”[/color] The word tasted strange in her mouth, but she nodded along and tried to put on her least ghoulish smile. [color=0054a6]“I don’t think ‘Martha’ quite suits me, though. Perhaps ‘Maratha’ will do.”[/color] The name had more of a Wraeclastian ring to it, and sounded a great deal more menacing than the furball’s suggestion. Already her plan of sucking up was bearing fruit: if [i]science[/i] was the foundation upon which this airship was build, then a lot of things suddenly made a great deal more sense.

The Witch knew of science. The study of the natural world, which some scholars applied for practical purposes. Even in her own world it had been vital in its way, but its power and allure had always paled compared to the world-shaking might of thaumaturgy. Why waste time studying the fragile laws of physics, when a single swipe of a witch’s wand could rend those laws asunder?

Maybe, she now understood, this was why. Maybe in a world without gods and nightmares run rampant, a world where the natural order still held sway, that methodical practice of science could advance to heights she’d never have imagined. Rather than swat aside gravity with powerful magic, perhaps gravity could be tamed and understood—and through such understanding, a mountain of iron made to soar through the skies.

A little humbled, but all the more fascinated by the new horizons opening before her eyes, the Witch signaled her assent. [color=0054a6]“A gift, for me? You really don’t have to. But yes, the sum total of human knowledge is just what I need right now; be a good friend and hand it over.”[/color] In magic as well as science, she was starting at the bottom of the ladder, but with enough will and cunning she’d soon lord it over these fools in every possible field.

After a brief bout of bickering (she couldn’t even begin to understand what all the fuss was about), the device was in her hands. The Witch bit her tongue and accepted it as gracefully as she could manage—then immediately scurried off to a dark corner of the engine room, where she might examine her prize unobserved. It wouldn’t do to have them know what she was learning; better that she mask her progress and catch them by surprise.

It took her only a minute or so to work out how to manipulate the glowing panel, and from there she quickly delved deep into the channels of the Inter-knot, devouring all the knowledge she could find. Just how far had science, come, in this World of Light where everything fit together? A few searches soon yielded remarkable results: skyscrapers, aircraft, telephones, motor vehicles. Harnessed lightning carried through mile upon mile of copper thread, vibrating membranes that could mimic the sound of someone’s voice, glass eyes that watched and recorded every moment they saw. She looked up briefly to glance around the room she was in, aware and observant now for any spying cameras.

The device in her hands was more than just a library, though. It was a communicator, a messenger that sent and received words across incredible distances almost faster than the Witch could blink. With mounting glee, she tried reaching out to a few of her old acquaintances, who also seemed to have found their way into this invisible network of information. Needless to say, many of them were quite excited to hear from her.

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